Laurina shoots down Bachelorette rumours with hospital selfie

The Bachelor beauty Laurina Fleure has explained the reason for her social media silence of late: she's been recovering from a serious stomach operation.

The 31-year-old Melbourne fashion designer shared a photo on Instagram this morning showing her scars after the procedure.

"A bit of speculation about why I've been off social media!! It's bc [sic] I was in hospital undergoing major stomach surgery that stemmed from a childhood complication!!"Laurina wrote. "#I'mallbetternow #fullyrecovered."

Phew, good to hear our fave bachelorette is back in good health.

Laurina appears to be addressing the rumours she's been off social media because she's reportedly signed up as the first-ever Australian Bachelorette.

A source close to the show told Sydney Morning Herald this week that Laurina could "take centre stage" when the series airs later in 2015.

Image: Laurina's hospital selfie on Instagram.

Image: Laurina on February 25, on the mend.

In January, Laurina sparked rumours of a TV return by telling the Daily Mail she could neither "confirm or deny" her upcoming TV commitments. Many thought she'd be a shoo-in for I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, but that hasn't eventuated.

As Bachelor fans will remember, Laurina had a medical scare on the show related to the same stomach issue.

"I have a previous operation scar on my stomach from when I was little," Laurina told TheFIX in September. "And it's caused some complications that my intestine got caught in the scar tissue... I nearly had to have an operation to cut me open and twist what was going on in there."